NRCS-WA Batching date: June 1, 2023
FSA Eligibility Deadline: June 13, 2023
SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Washington (NRCS-WA) announced the application batching period opened today for the Organic Transition Initiative (OTI) for Fiscal Year 2023. All eligible applications received by June 1, 2023 will be batched and then ranked for consideration of FY23 funding.
Before crops can be certified organic, farmers must carefully manage their land without using prohibited inputs like synthetic pesticides for 36 months. During this transition period and during the first years after certification, farmers often face many technical and market challenges.
The Organic Transition Initiative provides funding to support producers transitioning to organic production by providing financial assistance (FA) and technical assistance (TA) to farmers choosing to implement a new organic management standard.
The Organic Transition Initiative is a $300 million multi-agency USDA effort to support this transition and build and strengthen organic markets. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Risk Management Agency each have a major role in the Organic Transition Initiative.
As part of this initiative, the NRCS will also dedicate $5 million to partner with six organic technical experts through five-year agreements. The organic experts will develop regional networks and support NRCS staff who provide services to USDA customers. These services include hosting hands-on organic training and fielding organic-related staff questions. One organic research position will support this network.
The OTI supports USDA’s objective of developing diverse and equitable food systems while encouraging climate-smart agriculture by focusing funds on transitioning producers to organic production.
Read more here for details about assistance for producers transitioning to organic and the notice of funding to hire organic technical experts.